A Father's Superpower is Embarrassing His Daughter
by Blade Quill
Summary: Part 4 of the Violet Starscape Series: Umibozu comes to Earth to take Kagura back to space. [Umibozu Arc AU]
1. Chapter 1

**Be sure to read the previous parts, or this won't make much sense.**

"Kanpai!"

Glasses were raised at the toast, the sound of celebration filling the main hall. Sougo raised his own cup and took his customary single sip of sake before setting it down. He wasn't much for alcohol, mostly because he didn't handle liquor well, or not at all as was the case, since even a single drink could knock him out. Sadists like him liked to be in control and alcohol was undoubtedly bad for maintaining any sort of control. Besides, being the only sober one around while everyone else got drunk off their heads meant he had excellent blackmail material on them the next day, and he didn't have to deal with a hangover. That is what those in the business referred to as a 'win-win'.

Tonight, though, blackmail was sort of the last thing on his mind. It was still there, of course, but it wasn't as much of a priority as usual. He glanced to the place of honour and saw Kagura seated with Kondo and Hijikata on either side of her. While Kondo's face was already slightly flushed from the sake, Hijikata was as sober as Sougo. Food was aplenty, but China seemed to not be eating at her usual pace and was actually just taking small bites from her plate while Kondo talked her ear off.

It was her going away party, but she seemed to be the person having the least fun. Sougo glanced down at his own untouched plate of food and frowned, thinking back to the conversation he had eavesdropped on last week between Kagura, Hijikata and Kondo.

 _"Am I in trouble?" she asked. Sougo got to the door just as he heard her ask that, and he leaned forward to hear the answer, sliding the door open just slightly enough to grant him a sliver of gap to see inside the room._

 _China was seated with her back to the door, Hijikata and Kondo in front of her, though neither of them had noticed Sougo._

 _Kondo laughed heartily, setting Sougo's nerves at ease. "No, not at all," he said. "The matter is settled. It's nothing for you to worry about anymore."_

" _Oh, that's good," said Kagura, her shoulders sagging in what Sougo assumed was relief._

 _Rengokukan had been his mess that he'd dragged a lot of people into, but to hear it was settled filled him with the same kind of relief._

 _His attention went back to the conversation, just as Kondo said "...Totsan wanted me to tell you that he received word from your father. Umibozu-dono is coming to Edo."_

 _Sougo couldn't see Kagura's face since her back was to him, but he noticed the way her posture tensed up when she heard._

" _O-oh?" he heard her ask, the slightest of tremor in her voice. "When?"_

" _Next week," said Kondo. "His ship will get in around midday."_

" _Alright," she said, and Sougo thought her voice sounded odd. "I'll be sure to be ready to leave."_

 _Sougo felt an uncomfortable feeling settle in his stomach at her words, though he ignored it for the time being._

" _I wanted to say how grateful we were for all your help, Kagura-san," said Kondo, with a wide smile. "Not just with Takasugi, but training the troops too. You have done a lot for the Shinsengumi and for Edo, and I want you to know we will never forget it." He bowed to her in thanks, keeping his head lowered with utmost respect._

 _It was moments like these that Sougo knew why he had chosen this man above all to follow. He was a little bit surprised when China lowered her head too, bowing respectfully to Kondo and returning the gesture. Sougo hadn't even known she knew how to be this polite, and had to wonder if this was something she had learned during her time in Edo._

" _I am grateful to the Shinsengumi as well," she said, raising her head once more as Kondo did too. "I have learned a great deal here in Edo, and I am thankful to all of you for making me feel welcome here." Her words were sincere and serious, and seemed to be chosen carefully and with enough nervousness to tell Sougo that she was not used to speaking that way._

" _Not at all," said Kondo. "If you're ever in Edo again, our doors will be open to you."_

" _That's not just him being polite," said Hijikata, blowing smoke from his lips. "It's an official invitation. Like I said earlier, you have been an asset to the Shinsengumi, and if you wanted, Kondo-san and I would both support making you an offer for a permanent position here."_

" _R-really?" she asked, sounding genuinely shocked._

" _Of course," said Kondo, at once. "We already consider you to be one of us, and we don't want you to leave. But we understand you have your own obligations too. We just hope you know that you will always have a place with us."_

 _She sighed and Sougo thought it was the saddest sound he had heard her make. "Thank you," she said, her voice wavering noticeably. "If it were possible, I would love nothing more than to accept that offer."_

The words were still bugging Sougo. What did she mean 'if it were possible'? An official position with the Shinsengumi was nothing to scoff at, and if she really wanted to stay, then she should just do it, especially if the thought of leaving had her with that damn look in her eyes for the past week.

She still had the look now, and Sougo knew he wasn't imagining it because he'd had a conversation with Hijikata the day before about the exact issue.

 _"So, you fought China?" he asked, bringing it up casually._

 _Hijikata raised his eyes to him from the report he was writing. "Yeah," he said. "We fought after the Rengokukan thing was settled." He returned to the report, clearly thinking that was the end of the conversation._

 _Sougo, however, was far from done. "And?" he asked, leaning against the doorway of Hijikata's office._

" _And what?" asked Hijikata._

" _What was it like?" he asked, trying to keep his tone nonchalant. He wasn't quite sure what the sickly feeling that had filled him as soon as news of China and Hijikata sparring alone had reached his ears was, but he was determined to get to the bottom of it. All he knew was that the mere thought had seemed to double his usual hatred of Hijikata._

" _Challenging, that's for sure," said Hijikata, thoughtfully. "It's one thing seeing her strength when she fights others and a whole nother thing to actually experience it firsthand. It's definitely something."_

 _Hearing him speak about it with obvious admiration was making it worse. Sougo clenched and unclenched his fist so he wouldn't reach for his sword and slice off Hijikata's head. "Interesting," he said instead, gritting his teeth._

 _Hijikata finally seemed to notice his mood and raised his eyebrows. "What is it that you really wanted to ask, you damn brat?" he asked, crossing his arms._

 _Thing was, Sougo couldn't verbalise what he actually wanted to know. Thinking about Hijikata getting to see China when she was fighting with him felt...well, he wasn't sure what it felt like but he didn't like it. The thought of how fierce her eyes got when she fought, how she spat curses when things didn't go her way, how red her blood was...Sougo wanted Hijikata to die a thousand painful deaths for catching even a glimpse of one of those things._

 _Unfortunately, Hijikata was also a perceptive bastard. "Sougo," he said, using that tone of his that set his teeth on edge because he was about to point out something that he didn't want to think about. "It's alright to feel sad that she's leaving."_

" _Who's sad?" asked Sougo. "Are you sad because you realised no one likes you? Or is it because of that poisoned bottle of mayonnaise I gave you yesterday?"_

 _He didn't rise to the bait, which was rare. "Your skills have improved vastly since you started training with her. And you two get along," he said, and then frowned. "In your own messed up ways sure, but you do get along. You are closer in age as well, so it's not too odd that you became friends." Sougo scoffed at that, loudly and obviously, making Hijikata sigh. "Fine, not friends, then. Rivals, enemies, whatever you want to call it. Someone like that becomes important to you, whether you like it or not. Maybe in time you do become friends in some ways, but with her leaving, you may not get the chance."_

" _What is your point here, exactly?" asked Sougo, and then chuckled mockingly. "Do you want me to ask her not to leave?"_

 _He expected scoffing or something, but Hijikata shrugged. "That may not be a bad idea," he said. "She doesn't seem to want to leave, so if you ask, maybe she'll stay."_

" _Huh?" asked Sougo, thrown off by that enough to forget his ridiculous suggestion. "What do you mean she doesn't want to leave?"_

" _You know that Kondo-san and I made her an offer for a permanent position here," said Hijikata, and then narrowed his eyes at him. "Don't try to deny it, I know you were eavesdropping." Sougo shrugged unrepentantly, making Hijikata roll his eyes. "Look, it may not be our business, but when she got news of her old man returning, she wasn't completely thrilled."_

" _Maybe she just has daddy issues," shrugged Sougo, though he was thinking over Hijikata's words carefully._

" _If it's that, then it's none of our business," said Hijikata, firmly. "But if it's about her wanting to stay in Edo, then there is something we can do about that."_

" _Do you want her to stay?" asked Sougo curiously._

 _Hijikata paused before answering. "I do," he said. "The troops have vastly improved in their skill because of her training, not to mention she can keep you in line too."_

 _Sougo wanted to ask why Hijikata wasn't the one asking her to stay then, but knew it was for the same reason why Sougo wouldn't do it either. They just weren't the kind of people to do something like that, regardless of circumstances._

" _I'm not going to ask her something stupid like that," Sougo declared firmly. "And I will be glad that she's gone. One less headache for me to handle. Bye now, Hijikata-san, and please enjoy the mayonnaise I gave you yesterday."_

" _Wasn't that the one you said you poisoned, you brat?" demanded Hijikata, raising his voice but Sougo just waved and left._

As he'd told Hijikata, there was no way he was asking China to stay if she was leaving. He didn't care one way or another where she went, but the more time went on, the more it kept irritating him. Now that it was her going away party and she would be leaving tomorrow, Sougo could finally admit that he was maybe, just the tiniest bit, not okay with her leaving.

It wasn't because of some stupid reason like Hijikata had assumed, but because he would lose a challenging rival. He had surpassed everyone here at Shinsengumi, and the usual Jouishishi and criminals provided no challenge. China was the only person he could fight on an equal footing these days, and yes, his skills had improved as a result of sparring with the Yato, so he didn't want to lose the rival who was making him stronger. Not to mention, it was genuinely fun to fight her.

Sougo had his little hobbies of trying to kill Hijikata, watching fights, torturing the troops with additional training, and the occasional sadistic ventures with the opposite sex. But he also got bored easily. China was fun. Whether it was sparring verbally or going at it with fists and weapons, Sougo always had fun and was yet to grow bored of her. Her leaving was like someone taking away his favourite toy, and Sougo was never one to give up on things that he wanted. His selfish, sadistic side demanded to be pleased. He wanted China to stay so he could torment her and fight her and annoy her. He didn't want her to be off in space somewhere fighting other people instead of him.

And yet, he knew he couldn't ask her to stay. It would make him look weak and pathetic and there was no way he could let China think she had any impact on him whatsoever. That would defeat the whole purpose of toying with her. Besides, whether she wanted to or not, it was obvious that she was going to leave with her father.

"You're not eating Okita _taichou_?" asked Yamazaki, clearly having grown bold after a couple of drinks into him. "The yakitori is delicious."

"I'm fine," he said, the stifling, alcohol-filled atmosphere not agreeing with him. As soon as Yamazaki's attention was diverted, Sougo slipped out quietly, welcoming the slightly cool evening air as he left the stuffy main hall.

He had been out for about ten or so minutes when he heard the doors open and close behind him, and he glanced back to see no one other than Kagura joining him outside.

"I don't think you're supposed to leave your own party so early," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm not much for crowds when alcohol gets involved," she shrugged. "They all seem like they're having fun, though," she added with a glance back at the closed doors.

"Everyone loves a party," he said.

"You apparently don't," she said.

"Neither do you," he said. "Did Kondo-san take his clothes off yet?

"I think he was starting to," she said, with a small smile. "I left before I saw something that would ruin me for marriage. He was yelling about the karaoke machine as I was leaving."

They both heard the painful screeching sound of a microphone being plugged in and cringed. "I think they found it," he said.

"Let's go someplace else where we won't have to hear it," said Kagura, grabbing his arm.

Sougo was slightly surprised, but let her lead him away to the back of the compound towards her room. It was a nice night out, so she sat down on the _engawa_ , clearly expecting him to join her. He did, after a brief moment of hesitation, enjoying the peacefulness of the night where they could still hear the muted tones of bad singing coming from the main hall.

The silence seemed to stretch on, and since Kagura didn't seem like she would say anything, Sougo decided to do it instead. "So," he said, cringing slightly as his voice broke through the silence. "Where are you headed next?"

She shrugged slightly, her eyes trained on the moon, which was full and bright against the inky night sky. "Who knows?" she said. "Papi will have a new job lined up, no doubt."

He nodded, wondering what he was supposed to do now. There was a loud crashing sound and they both turned towards it quickly, but it was followed by ringing laughter, so they relaxed. Something funny must have happened at the party.

"I think I will miss this," said Kagura, her voice soft.

Sougo looked at her and saw a small smile playing on her lips. "You will?" he asked.

"Of course I will," she said, slightly indignant that he would think otherwise. "I'll miss everyone here in Edo. Gin-chan and _anego_ and Shinpachi and Sadaharu and Soyo-chan, and the Chief and Vice Chief, and even those dumbasses back in the main hall who are no doubt destroying something important in a drunken stupor."

"If you will miss everyone so damn much, then why are you leaving?" he asked bluntly. "Oh, and screw you for not mentioning me."

She looked slightly startled and then smiled. "What's the matter, Sadist? You want me to not go?" she asked. This was exactly what he didn't want, but she shrugged instead of teasing him further. "I do like Edo," she said. "And I am still sore that I let Takasugi get away. Besides, while I won't miss your sadistic self, you make for a not completely terrible sparring partner."

It was his turn to have a slightly teasing smile on his face. Unlike her, he was planning on milking it for all it was worth, but she continued speaking before he had a chance.

"My father won't let me stay," she said. "My training isn't complete yet."

"When will it be done?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. "If I had not been distracted and caught Takasugi, this would have been the end of my training, leaving me to free to choose my next course of action. Since I failed, who knows when Papi will think I can handle another solo mission."

"Was this your first time acting on your own?" asked Sougo.

"Yeah, Papi and I have always travelled together since I started my training, but this was my first time working alone, and I failed," she said. "And before you tell me that I didn't fail, I know my father will see it that way. Takasugi isn't dead or caught, so I failed to do what was asked of me."

Sougo contemplated that. "Do you want to return once your training is done?" he asked.

"Truth be told, I have been learning a lot here in Edo, too," she said, her voice low.

"I know," he said. "Your fighting style has changed from when we first fought almost three months ago. It's been influenced by my own fighting style and even by the troops you have been training, to some extent."

She looked at him in surprise, as if she had not expected him to know. He raised an eyebrow at that. He hadn't been watching her train the troops because he was a creepy stalker like Kondo. He was genuinely interested to see her fight and learn how to defeat her. It hadn't seemed like she was too familiar with fighting people who used swords, so fighting with the men of the Shinsengumi had honed her skills in a different way than whatever other battles she had encountered in space. It helped that while many of their members practiced the Tennen Rishin Ryu, they had plenty of members with varying styles and from different schools of sword fighting.

"Yeah," she said, finally. "Fighting's one thing, but Edo has also taught me about other things that my father's training did not. I would like to learn more."

"Not that this is any of my business, but couldn't you tell your father that?" asked Sougo.

"Ask him leave to his own daughter on an alien planet to live in a compound full of men for an undetermined amount of time?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, I'm sure the Chief was just being nice when he made me the offer to stay on with the Shinsengumi."

"Huh?" asked Sougo, confused. "Kondo-san, sure, but Hijikata-san saying that it was a genuine offer was not him being polite."

Fortunately, she did not pick up on the fact that he seemed to know a whole lot more than should be possible about that particular conversation.

"Do you think Matsudaira will agree?" asked Kagura, looking sceptical.

"If Kondo-san and Hijikata-san say so, then yeah," shrugged Sougo.

"Interesting," she said, smiling like she knew something he didn't. "Do you know much about alien hunters?"

He thought that was coming out of nowhere, but since he really didn't know a whole lot about it, he said nothing.

She chuckled. "Alien hunters are mostly called when there is nothing else on the planet that can help," she said. "Usually it's when the monster has already destroyed their world order, so the survivors call for outside help. It's why the job doesn't pay a whole lot. People who have had their worlds destroyed aren't really the rich kind. The rich usually have enough to abandon the planet and go somewhere else if a monster shows up."

"What's your point?" he asked.

"My point is, alien hunters don't really do bounty missions," said Kagura. "Especially not on a planet like Earth that already has a functioning law enforcement and government."

Sougo stared at her. "So...Totsan calling you in…?" he asked.

She smiled slightly and looked at the moon. "Earth has been open to Amanto for twenty years which seems like a long time to us, but when you think about it, it's really not a long time at all," she said. "Even if the Tendoshu control the Bakufu here in Edo, I'm sure people like Matsudaira are doing all they can to take stock of all the different alien races that could come here."

Now that she'd said it, Sougo thought that was rather obvious. Of course, Totsan would do anything to make sure Edo was safe, Tendoshu or no Tendoshu.

"So, he called you in...to see how Yato worked?" he asked.

"Probably, this is all still hypothetical, you know," she said. "I mean, Yato are rare. Even among Amanto, Yato are rare. When Papi told me to take this mission, he told me not to be surprised if I was just coming here to be observed so humans could determine if Yato posed a threat."

"Then why come here at all?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I had my own reasons for coming to Earth," she said. "Besides, everyone knows Yato are dangerous. Whether I was observed or not, that's the conclusion everyone usually comes to." She chuckled, and it was a bitter sound. "It's sad, really. They say if you see a Yato, you are already dead. Kind of messes with a girl's self esteem."

He didn't have his sword with him, but since they were sitting close enough, he turned and threw a punch in her direction.

Kagura blocked it, barely making it before his fist would have made contact with her nose. "What is your damage, Sadist?" she demanded, holding his fist away from her face.

He shrugged unapologetically. "You were making a weird face," he said. "It made me want to punch it."

"You are so messed up," said Kagura, releasing him.

"Nah, I just don't put stock in some messed up rumours about Amanto unless I have firsthand experience," he said. "Besides, I haven't dropped dead yet."

"You might if you keep punching me out of nowhere," she said, but there was a smile on her face instead of that resigned, bitter look from before. It made him relax to see it gone.

"Whatever Totsan's reasons may or may not be, if you want to stay in Edo, none of it should matter. You should do what you want," he said, bluntly. "If not, then you are just running away because you're scared."

"That simple, huh?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"That's for you to decide," he said, getting to his feet. "Leave or stay, the decision is yours to make and yours to live with. Though let me tell you something about people who run away, China." He stopped and regarded her coolly. "I think they are cowards. Despite your ugly face, disgusting food habits and annoying personality, I have never once thought of you as a coward. Though I suppose we shall find out soon if I was right or wrong, eh?"

He saw the look of shock on her face, and nodded as he left to return to his room. He wasn't sure if he had crossed a line in some way, but he found that he didn't care. He'd said what he wanted to, and whatever happened next, the ball was in Kagura's court.


	2. Chapter 2

Contrary to what Sougo knew, he was far from the first person to tell Kagura she shouldn't leave Edo.

The day before her going away party at the Shinsengumi compound, Kagura had been invited to tea at the Kodokan dojo by Otae, and she had been surprised to find both Gintoki and Shinpachi in attendance too.

 _"You should stay in Edo."_

 _Kagura choked on her tea at that blunt statement, coming from Shinpachi of all people._

 _Once she had stopped coughing up the hot tea, she looked at him in surprise. He had a serious look on his face that she had only seen a couple times, and never outside of a fight._

" _I can't stay," she said firmly, shaking her head._

" _Yes, you can," he said, crossing his arms._

" _Oi, Patsuan, I think that's enough," said Gintoki._

" _Gin-san, tell her…" began Shinpachi, yet Gintoki shook his head._

 _Not that it would have made a difference, but Gintoki's refusal to even ask her to stay stung a little._

" _I can never pretend to understand the bonds of a real family, and I can definitely never ask anyone to give them up," said Gintoki, a small smile on his face as he looked at Kagura. "Your father trained you, didn't he?"_

" _Yeah, he did," said Kagura, softly._

 _Gintoki nodded, with a look in his eyes that she struggled to understand. "Then in a way, he is your Master too," he said._

" _I guess," she conceded._

 _He nodded once again, before smiling at her. "Earth's too small for you, Kagura-chan. You ought to be out in space with your father," he said._

" _Gin-san!" said Shinpachi, outraged._

" _Shin-chan, that's enough," said Otae firmly, before turning to Kagura. "Kagura-chan, I know we will all miss you a lot when you leave. You can always come and visit us when you come to Earth. I'll always have some Baagen Daz in my freezer set aside for you."_

" _Thanks, anego," said Kagura, her lip trembling slightly as she attempted to hold back tears. "And you too, Gin-chan. I knew this would be a temporary trip when I started, so I know I shouldn't get to so worked up over leaving."_

" _There is nothing wrong with not wanting to leave Edo," said Shinpachi, his gaze steely. "No matter what Gin-san and aneue say, if you don't want to leave Edo, you shouldn't have to. I'm not just saying that because you have become a part of our lives here, Kagura-chan." He sighed and shook his head once. "It's because I have never seen you look sadder than when you first told us you were leaving."_

" _Shin-chan," said Otae, softly._

 _Shinpachi turned to his sister. "I know you saw it too, aneue," he said. "And you did too, Gin-san. I know you two think that letting her go is the best thing to do, but I can't do that if I know it isn't what Kagura-chan wants." He looked back at a stunned Kagura. "It's not just us. I'm sure there are plenty of people at the Shinsengumi who also don't want you to leave. The people you are closest to will realise you don't want to leave. If you don't believe me, try asking Kondo-san, or Hijikata-san. Even Okita-san is probably thinking about it."_

 _Kagura looked away and smiled a little. "Thank you, Shinpachi," she said. "While it's true that I like Edo and I want to stay here a bit longer, it's out of my hands for now. Maybe one day, when I finish my training, I will get the chance to come back here once again."_

 _Shinpachi looked frustrated, but eventually conceded with a nod. "Then I'm with aneue on this one," he said. "You will always have a place here with all of us in Edo."_

Despite that sombre tea party and her melancholic going away party, Kagura somehow managed to sleep restfully that night. Perhaps being resigned to your fate rid you of nightmares and restlessness that came with making a decision. Her things had mostly been packed up since she had received word of her father returning, so when morning came, she packed the last of her things, the room feeling slightly too big now that it was no longer hers.

"Huh," she heard from the doorway and didn't have to turn around to see who it was. "That's the way this goes then."

"Seems so," answered Kagura, finding herself unable to face him.

"I guess that means goodbye, China," said Sougo.

"I guess it does," she said. "I-"

"No," he said, his voice somehow the same lazy, monotone as usual yet it made her wince. "Just, no."

Kagura turned around to face him, but he was already walking away. She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes for a moment.

When the hell had things gotten so complicated?

* * *

"The sun on Earth is too harsh," muttered Umibozu as he left the terminal and stepped into Edo. "I hope Kagura has been dealing with it properly."

He had stopped a minor alien incursion in the terminal, but the annoying alien had shed its skin and escaped somewhere into the city, further souring his mood. He had been looking forward to seeing his beloved daughter once again and taking her away from this unnaturally sunny planet, but now he had to worry about an infernal alien loose in Edo. Hopefully, the local law enforcement would deal with it, and he could go see his daughter whom he hadn't seen in months. It was the longest she'd been away from him since he'd taken her from Rakuyo to start her training, and he had been worried sick the whole time.

Without wasting any more time than he already had, Umibozu hurried to the Shinsengumi compound, so he could see Kagura as soon as possible. He frowned behind his bandages when he saw that the place was full of men, his overprotective instinct going into overdrive. If any of them had ever had even a single inappropriate thought about his sweet, innocent daughter, they would be feeling the wrath of the great Umibozu.

He was led into a meeting room once he had told the guards up front who he was, and immediately met with a gorilla-like man who introduced himself as Kondo Isao, the Chief of the Shinsengumi.

"It really is an honour to meet you, Umibozu-dono," he said, heartily.

"I am grateful to you for looking after Kagura," said Umibozu, polite as he sized him up.

"Of course, of course," nodded Kondo. "Kagura-san has been an enormous help to the Shinsengumi, and we owe her a lot."

Despite wanting to get Kagura away from this place as soon as possible, the honest praise for his daughter filled Umibozu with pride. Kondo probably didn't even realise a tenth of Kagura's potential, but he seemed to appreciate her strength rather than fear it, which put him on Umibozu's good side for the time being.

"I'm glad to hear it," said Umibozu. "I was given to understand that she did not capture the target she was sent to get."

"No, but she prevented his plan from succeeding," said Kondo. "The incident didn't incur a single casualty, civilian or otherwise."

"Right," said Umibozu. "Where is she now?"

There was a knock on the door as he spoke, and Kondo brightened up as he called for the people to enter. Umibozu turned around to look at them, and saw a tall man with v-shaped hair enter first, dressed in the Shinsengumi uniform and smoking a cigarette. Behind him was the familiar sight of Kagura, dressed in white and holding her umbrella.

"Kagura-chan," greeted Umibozu, getting to his feet. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Papi," she said, with a small smile. Umibozu swore she was looking more and more like Kouka everyday. "How was your journey to Earth? Do you still have any hair left?"

"The journey and my hair are both well and long," he lied...er, stated. "Are you all packed and ready to go?"

"You're leaving immediately?" asked Kondo. "We were hoping to offer you our hospitality, Umibozu-dono. Right, Toshi?"

"There's a ship leaving in three hours," said Umibozu, firmly. "Besides, I expect you will be busy. There's an escaped alien in Edo."

"That's what I was coming here to tell you, Kondo-san," said the man whom Kondo had called Toshi. "We have the beast cornered. It's holed up in a bank and has supposedly taken hostages. Sougo and the First Division has already headed there."

"What kind of an alien is it?" asked Kagura.

"They can deal with it, Kagura-chan," he said, recognising her expression.

She shook her head stubbornly. "We can at least lend a hand," she said.

He tried to stare her down, but she narrowed her gaze at him and he sighed. "Fine," he said. "If it's alright, we would like to help," he said, looking at Kondo.

"We would be honoured to see how you operate, Umibozu-dono," said Kondo.

The car ride to the scene of the hostage situation was mostly silent. Umibozu and Kagura were in a car driven by someone she had introduced to him as Yamazaki.

"We could have gone to eat lunch instead of this," said Umibozu in a low voice, so only Kagura could hear. "I'm sure they can handle it. It didn't have a lot of energy left and I doubt it can find something to fill up in a bank, of all places."

She didn't say anything, but gave him a look that conveyed her displeasure at his words. He cleared his throat and decided to change the subject.

"Are you sure the sun isn't too harsh on you here?" he asked, noting that she wasn't covering up other than having her umbrella with her.

"No, it's fine," she said. "I like Edo."

Umibozu raised an eyebrow at her words, but they arrived at the bank so he didn't question it any further.

There was a police barricade set up outside the bank, and flashing cameras and news crew were gathered just outside of it, clambering to get a good look inside the bank. Several members of the Shinsengumi were holding them and other civilians back, so that they would not be in the way. Umibozu stepped out of the car as soon as it had stopped and walked straight past the barricade and towards the bank. The sooner he got this over with, the quicker he and Kagura could leave.

The alien had grown into a large monstrosity right inside the bank, while the terrified humans were cowering away from it. Umibozu put an end to it quickly, knocking it out with two sharp blows of his umbrella. His job done, he turned around and walked right back out to see Kagura waiting with some of the Shinsengumi officers.

"It's done," said Umibozu. "Let's go, Kagura."

"Ah, Umibozu-dono, I sent one of the men to get Kagura-san's belongings from the compound," said Kondo. "He'll be back soon."

"Right," said Umibozu, glancing around slightly. His focus narrowed on one of the officers who was at the bank's entrance and directing his men to recover the alien's corpse. The flaxen-haired young man must have felt Umibozu looking at him since he turned and met his gaze briefly before walking into the bank. Umibozu took an intense dislike to the young man at first glance, for reasons incomprehensible.

"Papi," said Kagura, drawing his attention away.

"Why are they recovering the corpse?" asked Umibozu. "You can dispose of it by fire."

"A certain VIP has asked for it," said Kondo, sheepishly. "They're apparently a collector of all kinds of creatures."

Umibozu thought that was a stupid hobby, but didn't say anything. They were only waiting for a bit when one of the Shinsengumi soldiers returned with Kagura's bag. She had apparently packed it before leaving, so when it was brought to her, Umibozu was glad that they would be leaving at last.

He looked at Kagura, and was surprised to see her give a surprisingly polite bow to Kondo and Hijikata. All the Shinsengumi men in the vicinity also stopped what they were doing and returned her bow along with their leaders. The only one missing was the young man that had drawn Umibozu's attention before, but when he stepped out of the bank, he noticed the bowed men and his gaze shifted to Kagura. Kagura straightened up and for the briefest moment, her gaze met the young man's, before she looked away quickly.

"Let's go, Papi," she said, taking her bag and hurrying to his side.

Umibozu looked back at the young man, whose face was somehow cold and impassive, yet there was a look there that Umibozu did not like. Throwing a glare in his direction just because, Umibozu put an arm around Kagura's shoulder and began leading her towards the terminal. Fortunately, she seemed just as eager as him to leave, so they made their way to the terminal pretty quickly.

Umibozu went to take care of their travel arrangements, and when he came back he found Kagura standing by one of the windows of the terminal, looking out into Edo. What stopped him short though, was the expression on her face. It was a look he had seen frequently, and it was the look that had made him finally take her away from Rakuyo to start her training, even though she had been too young to do it at age 12. The look was something that had haunted him everytime he had walked away, and he had done his best to never see it, neither on Kagura's face, nor her brother's.

He was sure he had worn that look on his own face when he'd put her on that ship to come to Edo three months ago. What confused him now was why she had that look on her face when they were united and about to leave together. Her mouth was pulled down in a small frown, and her eyes, eyes that were exactly like his, were gazing at Edo with longing as if whatever she was missing was out in that sunlit city instead of with her own father.

"Kagura," he said, and she jumped slightly before turning to him.

"Papi, is everything alright?" she asked, hastily schooling her expression but it was too late because he had already seen a whole lot of what she had been trying to hide.

"Yes," he said. "Everything's fine. I got our bags checked in, and the ship leaves in half an hour."

"Okay, good," she said, taking a seat nearby.

Umibozu sighed and sat down next to her. "Did you get attached?" he asked, already knowing the answer but asking just the same. She looked startled and started to shake her head, but Umibozu smiled to ease her apprehension. "It's alright, if you did. Kouka did always talk about Earth, didn't she? I know you have wanted to come here for a while."

"Yeah," she admitted, eyes downcast.

Umibozu did his best not to sigh once more and patted her shoulder comfortingly. "It's alright to get attached, but that's exactly why we have to leave," he said. "You understand that, right? If you care about Earth, about this city and the people in it, then it's best for you to stay away. We invite nothing but death and destruction."

"I know," she said, her voice tired.

Umibozu hated it, and he wished he could do something about the hopelessness in her voice, but he was protecting her in the only way he knew how. After Kamui, Kagura was all he had left and he wanted to keep her close. For the longest time, he had kept her away since he was afraid of what he would do if Kagura attacked him the same way that Kamui did. He knew he would kill her, because there would be no else to stop him. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Kagura in any way.

The only reason he had taken her from Rakuyo and started her training so early was because he couldn't bear to keep leaving her behind. If her losing control and giving in to her Yato heritage was an inevitability, then maybe if she were strong enough, he wouldn't be able to kill her. Umibozu's instincts for self-preservation were high, just like all Yato, but he was sure that he wouldn't mind dying if it were for Kagura's sake. He could never tell her any of that, of course, so he focused all his energy in making her as strong as possible while ensuring that she knew exactly what it was to be a Yato and the life that came with it.

"Papi," she said, softly. "I have grown stronger in Edo." Umibozu looked at her in surprise, especially when she raised her gaze to his and he saw determination in the cerulean depths. "I learned a lot here, from this city and the people who live here."

"That's good, Kagura-chan," he said. "I know this whole mission was not what we are usually called in for, but if it helped you get stronger, then it was not a waste. You will be able to use what you learned here as you continue your training."

She seemed to deflate at her words instead of cheering up like he had expected, and they waited in complete silence for the next half hour. When the time came for them to board the ship, Umibozu decided he would bring it up once more. He waited until they had taken their seats on the ship, and saw her looking out of the window with that same forlorn look on her face that he dearly wished to take away.

"Kagura-chan," he said, his voice low but insistent. "We are monsters, you and I. As strong as I am sure the people of Edo are, they will never understand you or consider you as anything beyond that. To them, you are a powerful weapon, no different than a sword they would wield in battle. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"You're wrong," she said, her voice just as low and yet Umibozu could feel anger radiating off her in waves. "The people here are different. Not all of them, but enough of them have shown me already that I'm better than just some monster or a weapon. I'm not sure if they're right, but I want to find out. It's better than just accepting that a monster is all I'll ever be."

"Kagura," sighed Umibozu, feeling tired himself. "Struggling like this is only hurting you. Let this go."

"I want to struggle," she said, her tone growing sharp in a way that reminded him of Kamui. "I want to keep struggling and fighting and hurting if that's what it'll take for me to be more than just a monster."

"Enough," said Umibozu, his own voice getting sharp. "We're leaving this planet, and that's that."

It clearly rubbed her the wrong way, since she all but snarled at him when he said that. "Stop treating me like a child," she hissed. "I am old enough to know what I want."

"I doubt it, judging by what you have been saying," snapped Umibozu.

"You trained me yourself, Papi," she said, her voice rising in a way that made other passengers start looking at them curiously. "I will become the best alien hunter in the galaxy, and to do that, I need to follow my own path to get stronger, too. This place taught me there is more than one way to be strong, and I want to be someone who can protect other people, not just cut down monsters like a sword." She suddenly looked at him in shock, her eyes growing wide. "Or do you think I'll become like Kamui if you don't keep an eye on me?"

"Kagura," he warned.

"Do you think so little of me that you consider me to be no different from him?" she demanded, clearly beyond listening to him. "I'm not like Kamui. I don't want to hurt people like he does."

"I said, that's enough!" shouted Umibozu, and she jumped at his raised voice. He hastily attempted to calm down. If he lost his temper too, it would lead to a battle between them, and as they stood now, Umibozu knew he would be the victor if it came down to it.

Kagura was staring at him in shock, but then she exhaled heavily as an impassive look appeared on her face. "I want to stay in Edo longer," she said, her voice calm and collected.

Umibozu opened his mouth to tell her like hell she was, when there was a sudden lurch as their ship tilted, startling all the passengers and even the staff. Before he could even understand what was happening, all hell broke loose.

* * *

"You look like hell," said Hijikata, casting a sideways look at Sougo.

"I think you might be looking into a mirror, Hijikata-san," said Sougo, outwardly unruffled but Hijikata had known him since he was a little brat incapable of hiding of how he felt, so he could tell that he was far from fine.

"Did you ask her to stay?" he asked, though he knew it was futile to ask when Kagura had already left with her father some time ago.

"Ah, Kamisama, Hijikata-san is asking useless questions again," said Sougo, pulling out his creepy eye mask and putting it on. "Is this all the proof we need to say that prolonged exposure to nicotine and mayonnaise can cause brain damage?"

"Shut up, you damn brat," snapped Hijikata, bristling at the insult to his precious mayonnaise. "Maybe she will come back," he said, trying to be considerate for once.

"Ara, what's this, Hijikata-san?" asked Sougo, his tone saccharine sweet. "Have you perhaps fallen in love with the China monster? How old is she again? Should I arrest you, eh?"

Hijikata decided to give up. If Sougo wanted to sulk, he could do it in his spare time. He was done trying to cheer the brat up.

"Go back to work," he snapped.

"I am working," said Sougo, though he was currently lying prone on the floor of the meeting room. "I supervised the recovery of that damn alien for that Prince Baka er, Hata, so I did my work. Now, I'm working on my sleep."

Hijikata opened his mouth, ready for a full-blow rant, but Yamazaki ran up to them.

"Vice Chief, Okita _taichou_ , there's an emergency," he said.

"What happened?" asked Hijikata, not jumping to attention immediately since Yamazaki's emergencies were sometimes completely stupid.

"The alien we recovered before," he said. "Somehow it's grown bigger and attacked the terminal."

Both Hijikata and Sougo shot up at that. Yamazaki picked up the remote and turned on the television in the meeting room. The news was showing the terminal building, cracked open with the end of a ship sticking out and the alien mass attached to the side of the building, growing in size before their very eyes.

"Let's go," said Hijikata. "Oi, Sougo," he called, when Sougo just kept staring at the television screen. "What's wrong?"

"I think it's already being dealt with," he said, pointing to the screen.

Hijikata followed his gaze and saw that the news cameraman had zoomed in for a closer view, and they could make out two figures, one of them a familiar girl dressed in white, as they fought the beast with their umbrellas.

"We still have to go and help," said Hijikata. "Come on."

This time, Sougo followed as they hurried to a squad car and drove down to the terminal. They had to push past the gathering press, and Hijikata ordered Yamazaki to get started on crowd control, while he and Sougo went as close as possible to the terminal.

Kagura and Umibozu were nothing more than blurs as they destroyed the various limbs of the beast, systematically finding openings to attack, though the alien showed no sign of stopping. If anything, it was getting bigger.

"Toshi," he heard Kondo call and looked to see him stepping out of a different squad car dressed in a ridiculous costume.

"Kondo-san, what are you doing?" asked Hijikata, feeling a headache building.

"Oi, alien," called Sougo, using a megaphone. "You should stop destroying public property and surrender. Look, you're making your mother cry."

When Kondo started to cry, pretending to be the alien's disappointed mother, Hijikata decided to give up on those idiots. He heard Kagura's voice shouting something towards them, but she was too far to hear. Judging by the gesture she threw afterwards, they were likely curse words.

"Don't worry, Toshi," said Kondo, as an aside. "We only have to buy a little time. Totsan is arriving with more firepower."

"Eh, Totsan?" asked Hijikata, startled. "That crazy old man will blow up the whole terminal."

"Hijikata-san, China and the old man held off the alien long enough for civilians to make the escape," said Sougo, pointing to the side, where the evacuees were gathered. "It's probably just them that's left up there."

"Fine, give me that," said Hijikata, snatching the megaphone from him. "Kagura," he spoke loudly. "If there's no other survivors, evacuate. Reinforcements are on the way."

As a response, she disappeared from view and showed up a moment later, holding up two people. Hijikata narrowed his eyes to see who it was, and realised it was that stupid creature-obsessed prince and his attendant.

"Damn it," cursed Hijikata. "Kondo-san, don't let that crazy old man fire."

"Too late," came the drawling voice through the walkie-talkie in Kondo's hand and Hijikata looked up as the ship came into view above them. "Ready the cannon. We fire on five."

"Totsan!" shouted Kondo. "Don't fire! We have people in there still."

"Oi, listen to me well," said Matsudaira. "If that thing is not stopped, then everyone in Edo will die. Does that make sense?" Without waiting for Kondo to speak again, he continued. "Yosh, let's begin the countdown. One…"

There was a loud bang as the cannon fired, and Hijikata dropped his cigarette in horror as he watched the projectile head straight for Kagura and Umibozu.

* * *

"I thought he was counting to five," muttered Umibozu.

Kagura looked at him and smiled, even as he could see that she was in pain from fighting the alien and helping him shield the useless prince and the old man from cannon fire. Umibozu himself had absorbed the major brunt of the attack with his umbrella, leaving Kagura to protect them from shrapnel and anything else that might come for them.

"Are you alright, Papi?" she asked.

Umibozu grimaced as he closed his umbrella and stood up. "Yeah, nothing that a few hours can't heal," he said, looking at the charred alien corpse around them and making sure that the core had also been destroyed. "I think the damn thing fed on the altana here in the terminal to grow this big."

"We have to get these two down," said Kagura, nodding to the passed out prince and old man. Without missing a beat, she picked up both of them and began climbing down.

Umibozu almost smiled at how childish she looked skipping down the alien's burnt corpse, though there had been nothing childlike about the way she had fought. As soon as the alien had capsized their ship, Umibozu had been thrown inside the terminal so he had stayed to help civilians escape, leaving Kagura to deal with the alien, which she had done expertly, even keeping the prince and the old man safe. As he fought alongside her, he could see marked improvements in her fighting style as well as her stamina. Even now, he was feeling winded but she was carrying the two civilians down after a fight like that and surviving a cannon attack. Kagura, his precious daughter, had grown a lot stronger than he'd thought possible in just three months.

He went after her and when they reached the ground, she handed off the civilians to a waiting ambulance, refusing treatment for herself. Once it was done, she went up to Kondo and said something too low for Umibozu to hear. Kondo looked surprised, as did Hijikata and the flaxen haired brat that Umibozu hated. Finally, Kondo nodded.

Kagura came up to him and smiled a little. "Papi," she said, her voice calm and surprisingly, lacking the usual hopelessness that he had grown accustomed to hearing from her. "The Shinsengumi made me an offer for a permanent position with them. I am accepting it and staying in Edo."

Umibozu looked at her in shock and then back towards Kondo, who nodded. He glanced back at Kagura and saw her determined face. "Kagura," he said, but she shook her head.

"I am not making this decision without thinking," she said. "You saw it yourself. I have grown stronger, just like you have always told me to do. I want to be as strong as you, Papi. Stronger, even."

Umibozu looked at her determined stance, and tried in vain to see the arrogance of her brother in her. Perhaps she had not been completely off the mark when she'd accused him of lumping her and her brother in the same category. Despite how alike they looked and how fundamentally similar they were deep down, maybe they were different enough for it to matter, after all. He mused that it was likely he would never know unless he trusted her enough to grow strong on her own terms.

"Fine," he said, and watched her expression lift immediately. "But," he added, firmly. "I will determine if you are ready to be on your own."

She looked confused for a moment, but then nodded slowly. "Here?" she asked, understanding what he was getting at.

Umibozu looked around at the destroyed area in front of the terminal and shrugged. "This will do," he said. "Just remember, I shall not hold back."

Kagura grinned, and turned back to the Shinsengumi briefly. "Please don't interfere," she said. "And get back. This is going to get violent."


	3. Chapter 3

For someone like Hijikata Toshirou who was used to fighting and had seen his fair share of bloody battles, not a lot shocked him. That was before he saw two Yato fighting in front of him and most of the Shinsengumi. He vaguely remembered that they had evacuated the press and it was a good thing, because if this became public, there would be a political nightmare on their hands. As engrossed he was in the fight happening in front of him, his responsibility as the demon Vice Chief of the Shinsengumi that specialised in doing all the dirty work, was preparing for the damage control they would be doing for this.

Speaking of damage though, plenty of it was being dealt to both Yato. Hijikata was aware that Kagura held back when she was fighting, and he was starting to understand why.

The fight had started out with a single blow from Umibozu which had sent Kagura flying to a wall near the burnt alien corpse, slamming her through the wall to fall into a pile of rubble on the other side. It was a blow that would have killed an ordinary human being. But Kagura emerged from the dust on her own two feet, and spit out the blood from her mouth. To his shock, he saw her actually grin, a vicious grin that sent a shiver down his back, and saw it returned by Umibozu.

They became a blur of movement once again like they did when they were fighting the alien, except this time they were trading blows, each hit being dealt with so much force that everyone watching could feel it. Though Kagura landed several hits on her father, it was clear to see that Umibozu was the better fighter. Kagura was more agile though, flipping nimbly to dodge her father's attacks as opposed to the brute fighting strength of Umibozu.

What surprised Hijikata most was seeing Kagura's fighting style. While extremely similar to her father's, which made sense since she'd told them he had trained her, it was also familiar for a different reason. There were shades of the Tennen Rishin Ryu in her fighting style, particularly the way Sougo fought. He knew the two of them had been sparring frequently but it was amazing to see how they had each been influenced by the other's fighting style.

Umibozu was fighting in the way Kagura had when she had first arrived, and now, she was fighting back using the moves Sougo used to counter her. Not just Sougo, he realised, when he saw her do a calm side-step attack that he himself preferred when faced with a charging enemy. He watched her more closely then, seeing other fighting styles of Shinsengumi members in the way she countered. It was as if she had absorbed information on each person who had ever managed to counter her Yato fighting style and was now using it against her father. Hijikata was suitably impressed. As simple minded as she could sometimes be, she was a genius when it came to fighting.

Unfortunately for her, so was Umibozu, who was not a legend for nothing. When he saw her using unfamiliar fighting methods, he just increased the force of his attacks, regaining the upper hand once more. They had been fighting for close to an hour and the sun was about to go down soon. Knowing that Yato only grew stronger during the night, Hijikata wondered how long this would go on. Kagura had told them not to interfere, and he did understand that this was something she needed to do to prove to her father that she was strong enough to choose her path and stay in Edo like she wanted. He just wondered how crazy this was going to get.

They had been fighting at some distance from them for a while, when Umibozu sent Kagura flying back towards the Shinsengumi with a kick. Hijikata and many others winced at the sound of bones cracking as she fell onto the concrete road in front of them. She also lost her umbrella which was flung far off to the side when she fell.

"Don't," she said, when someone tried to approach to help her. "Stay back."

She slowly got to her feet, and Hijikata was shocked to see that her left arm was broken, the elbow bent oddly and the pale skin having turned purple. The back of her white cheongsam was drenched in blood and it took him a moment to realise that the blood was coming from a wound to the back of her head which had also soaked her hair a bright crimson colour.

Umibozu still had his umbrella, though not for long as Kagura charged at him. He managed to block her kick with his arm, but she didn't let it deter her as she kicked with her other leg, knocking his umbrella out of his hand so that it went sailing away from them. Umibozu threw her back once again, as she landed near the Shinsengumi, crumpling to the ground.

She winced as she stood, favouring one leg over the other and when she shifted, he saw that it was because her ankle bone was sticking out of the leg that Umibozu had just blocked. He almost expected the fight to end, especially when she had a broken arm and a leg, and they had both lost their weapons, but Kagura's stance shifted as she prepared to fight hand to hand. The stance was mimicked almost exactly by Umibozu, before the two resumed fighting.

Umibozu was clearly not holding back in this fight, and neither was she, judging by the fact that Umibozu also looked pretty winded and bloodied, though not as much as her. The side of his head was bleeding, and he was moving gingerly in the way one did after broken ribs. He was also breathing pretty heavily, indicating that his level of exhaustion was higher than Kagura's.

Seeing that she was severely injured, Umibozu flew towards her (presumably to put an end to the fight quickly) but she dodged using her broken arm to do a backflip onto a nearby parked squad car. Immediately, she crouched and jumped high into the air with her one good leg to land an attack on Umibozu. Hijikata thought it was rather clever to use gravity to add force to her attacks when she was down a couple limbs.

Umibozu braced for the attack and caught her unbroken leg to slam her bodily into the road, though not before she landed the hit to one of his arms, severing it. Hijikata's eyes went wide, but then he realised that it was a mechanical arm. It flopped to the ground, sparks flying out of the end of it.

Kagura was smirking as she lay in a crater on the road, before she slowly got up to her knees, her unbroken leg having snapped when Umibozu had just thrown her. She still had one of her arms, though there were bruises littering the pale skin, and her head wound seemed to be bleeding worse.

Umibozu sighed as she narrowed her eyes at him, her fists still up, despite the heavy damage. With the arm he had remaining, Umibozu held it up to call the end of the fight.

He looked at them, before focusing on Kondo. "I leave her in your care," he said. "If she comes to any harm, I will kill all of you."

"I understand," said Kondo, nodding firmly.

Umibozu fixed them all with a stern gaze, which softened when he looked at Kagura who had lowered her fists but still stayed upright on her knees, refusing to lie down. "Grow strong, Kagura," he said.

Hijikata glanced at Kagura, and saw a look of surprise and if he was not mistaken, her eyes looked a little misty too. He looked away then, knowing it was not a moment for him to witness.

"I will write you letters," he heard Kagura say, and Umibozu smiled.

"I look forward to reading them," he said. He bent to pick up his severed arm and smiled at his daughter before turning around and walking to the terminal once more. The terminal was severely damaged, but Hijikata knew they would have ships running in about an hour or so since the cleanup crew had already descended there a while ago.

Once had disappeared from view, Kagura dropped down to the ground. "Okay," she said. "Now, someone can help me."

Hijikata was surprised but not completely shocked when he saw Sougo step forward.

"The city's in gridlock still, so you'll have to carry her to the hospital," said Hijikata. "It's only a couple blocks from here."

"We can help, too," began Kondo, but Hijikata shook his head.

"Let him do it," he said. "The rest of you, we still have a lot to do. Half of you are on traffic duty, the rest of you are working here to clear this part up. Kondo-san, don't you have to debrief Totsan as well? No time to sit around chatting when there's work to be done."

* * *

Kagura grunted in pain as Sougo hoisted her up on his back and started carrying her to the hospital a little ways away. Even with her superior healing, the wounds would be taking a while to heal. Her father had not been lying when he'd said he wouldn't hold back. He had stopped short of killing her or causing permanent injury, but it was likely she would still need a week or so to be back on her feet.

"Damn, you're heavy," said Sougo, as they left the Shinsengumi behind.

"No, you're just weak," she said, letting her head fall onto the back of his shoulder.

"I don't want to hear that from someone who can't hold her neck up," he said. She opened her mouth and bit down on the back of his shoulder and he hissed in pain when her sharp teeth hit skin, even through his thick uniform. "Stop that, you feral beast."

"Then apologise for calling me heavy," she mumbled. "I have a model figure."

"Yeah, the model of a beast," he said, and hissed when she bit him again, drawing blood this time. "Quit doing that."

"Fine, but not because you told me to. I just don't want your blood to infect me with some weird sadistic disease," she said.

"You're plenty sadistic without needing to be infected," he said.

They walked in silence for a while, and Kagura could feel her fatigue growing as her body demanded that she sleep so she could start healing properly. Struggling to keep her eyes open, she sighed. "Hey," she murmured, her voice quiet.

"What?" he asked.

"I was running," she said. "But I won't anymore."

"I don't think you can right now," he said. "I'm pretty sure both your legs are broken."

"If they weren't, I'd kick you," she said. "I meant-"

"I know what you meant," he interrupted, his voice serious for once.

"I still need to say it, for my sake rather than yours," she said. "You can just pretend that you can't hear me for the next few minutes."

"It's hard to do that when your mouth is right next to my ear," he said.

"I could bite your ear off if you would like," she said, sweetly.

When he didn't say anything, she touched her teeth to his ear and he jerked away. "Fine! I'll pretend I can't hear you," he acquiesced. "Damn freak."

Kagura laughed, pleased at her victory. "The thing is, being an alien hunter means being a nomad," she said, her voice going soft. "You could have a home and a family but you would have to leave them constantly. It's not nice to be left behind." She sighed. "I learned everything I know about being an alien hunter from my father. That includes leaving when your job is done. Sometimes even when it isn't done if there is someone else who can do it instead. It wasn't until I came to Edo that I began seeing things from a perspective different from what Papi taught me. I learned about duties and responsibilities meant to protect people. Forming those connections has made me realise that I want to be my own kind of alien hunter. And a Yato, for that matter. I don't want to accept the fate laid out for me. I would rather go down swinging by my own choice, surrounding myself with people that I want. So, yeah, I will stop running and become an alien hunter who does the job she sets out to do. A Yato who embraces her blood without being consumed by it. I'm not a coward, so I guess that means you were right."

He didn't say anything as she finished speaking, but Kagura glanced at his face out of the corner of her eye and saw a small smile on his face. She smiled to herself and looked away. "You can start hearing again," she said.

"You don't get to tell me what to do," he said, his voice returning to the usual lazy monotone. "We're almost to the hospital. Go get fixed up. I am fighting every urge to get into a fight with you right now."

"Ah," said Kagura, smugly. "You saw how I was fighting with Papi and realised how much I was holding back on you. Is your pride hurt, Sadist?"

"You wish, China monster," he said, jostling her just enough to make her wince in pain without making her injuries worse. "I can still take you."

"You keep saying that but you're yet to beat me," she pointed out.

"Like I said, heal up so I can cut you down myself," he said.

"Empty promises mean nothing, Sadist," she sing-songed, her words slurring as the exhaustion set in.

Her eyes shot open when she felt a sharp sting of pain on her wrist and realised that he had bitten her.

"What is wrong with you?" she demanded, watching the teeth marks on her already bruised arm.

"Just checking to see if you're alive," he said, a smug look on his face.

"I hate you," she muttered, finally seeing the hospital building in front of them.

"The feeling's mutual," he said, and Kagura felt her consciousness slipping away.

When she woke up again, it was in a hospital bed, and she had been bandaged up properly. She glanced to the side and saw a nurse reading her chart.

"Oh, you're awake," she said, smiling at Kagura.

"How long was I out?" asked Kagura, noticing that the sun was high in the sky through her window.

"It's the day after you were brought in," she said. "You are healing really well. I'll go get Dr. Nishimura so she can check you over again." She turned to leave and then glanced into the corner of the room. "Oh, and sir, there's no food allowed in here unless you're the patient."

Kagura followed her line of sight and saw a disgruntled Gintoki put away the lollipop he was about to unwrap.

"Gin-chan?" she said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Keeping an eye on you," he said, walking up to stand by her bedside. "The damn tax robbers hired me. Are you in pain?"

"No," she said. "Why did they hire you?"

"The mayo bastard said that all troops were busy with clean up and something about not wanting you to be alone," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I would have done it without the money, but he actually agreed to pay without me asking for it."

Kagura couldn't help but smile fondly at that. "Thank you," she said. "And I'll be sure to thank him too."

Gintoki nodded, his eyes growing a little soft. "I saw what you did," he said. "It was on the news and everything."

"Just the alien thing, right?" she asked, slightly worried.

"Yeah, just that," said Gintoki. "But Mayora told me when I asked why you looked like you went ten rounds with a block of cement."

"A block of cement wouldn't cause this much injury to me," she said. "I might break a nail or something, at the most."

"True," chuckled Gintoki. "So, you're staying in Edo, eh? I'm glad."

"Really?" she asked, surprised and then smiled a little. "I figured someone has to help Shinpachi raise you."

"And just like that I am not that glad anymore," he said, flicking her forehead lightly. "Heal up. Shinpachi and Otae will be coming by to visit in a while, and I think the tax robbers will be free by evening."

"How long do I have to stay here?" she wondered out loud.

"I believe I can answer that," said the doctor as she entered. "I'm Dr. Nishimura. Now, Kagura-san, let's get a look at you, shall we?"

The cheery, middle-aged doctor proceeded to check her over for the next half hour while Gintoki waited outside.

"So, what's the verdict?" asked Kagura, lying back down.

"We healed all your broken bones," said Dr. Nishimura, making notes on her chart. "Thankfully, with Amanto technology it doesn't take a lot to heal broken bones these days. Back in the day even a simple break would need a number of weeks to heal, let alone compound fractures like you had. The fact that you have advanced healing means your recovery period is shorter too, so I would say you will be healed up in another day or so." She set the chart down and sighed. "The head injury and the internal bleeding is what concerns me more. You are still healing more rapidly than most patients do, but you will need a while until you are back to a hundred percent. I will examine you again tomorrow and if I'm satisfied, you can go home then, though no strenuous physical activity until another week at least."

Kagura nodded, personally thinking it was not completely awful considering the opponent had been her father. The nurse brought in food after Dr. Nishimura left, and Kagura occupied herself with eating for the time being before sleeping for a bit longer. She woke up when she heard Shinpachi and Otae, and the two of them and Gintoki stayed with her, talking and even playing a game of cards.

As evening fell, the crotchety head nurse entered her room with a glare on her face. "Visiting hours are over," she declared. "Let her rest."

Gintoki patted Kagura's head. "Get well soon," he said.

"We have a job tomorrow but we will try and drop by," said Shinpachi, with a smile.

"Thanks," nodded Kagura.

"Take care, Kagura-chan," said Otae, running a hand over Kagura's head comfortingly.

"I will, _anego_ ," she said. "Thank you for coming by."

The three of them said their goodbyes and left. Kagura remained sat up in her bed, and glanced at the setting sun out of her window. Edo looked marvellous, and she was very, very glad that she was still there.

The door to her room opened, and she was surprised when a large gift basket walked in. It took her a moment to realise that the gift basket was being carried by Yamazaki of all people, which was why she hadn't noticed anything besides the basket. He didn't have much of a presence, after all. He was followed in by Kondo, Hijikata and Sougo, along with a couple other soldiers and officers.

"Ah, Kagura-san, you appear to be doing well," said Kondo. "That's good."

"Yeah," nodded Kagura. The only visible signs of her injuries were the bandages on her legs and head, and her left arm being in a sling. Most of the visible bruises had begun to fade as far as the ones that were visible to them, anyway. For someone who had to have been carried in after breaking nearly all her limbs, she looked surprisingly fine.

"Soyo-hime sent the gift basket for you," said Hijikata, looking very much like he wanted to smoke but couldn't since they were in the hospital.

Kagura glanced at the basket in delight, and saw that it was mostly full of dango and sukonbu boxes. "I'll be sure to thank her," she said. "But how are you all here now? I thought visiting hours were over."

"We're cops, China," said Sougo lazily, giving her a look like he thought she was an idiot. "So, when do you get to leave this place?"

"Tomorrow, probably," she said, shooting him a glare. "The doctor said I can't fight for another week or so, though."

"Considering the extent of your injuries, that's not a lot at all," said Hijikata.

"Toshi's right," said Kondo, worriedly. "Are you sure that's enough time?"

"Yeah," said Kagura. "I'm sure the doctor's just worried about the head injury."

"That's stupid," said Sougo. "Everyone should know that's a lost cause already."

Kagura narrowed her eyes, but the head nurse came in and told them very firmly that cops or not, they had to all leave. Considering the rotten bitch looked like she could beat down all of them if they defied her, the Shinsengumi members quickly said their goodbyes and began leaving.

"Oi, Sadist," called Kagura, as he was the last one to go.

He stopped and turned to look at her. "What?" he asked.

She indicated her arm in the sling. "As soon as this is healed, you and me are on," she said.

He smirked at her. "Bring it," he said. "I am looking forward to it."

 **Thank you for reading. Keep an eye out for the next part, featuring the Benizakura Arc!  
**


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